I sliced off half the fingernail on my Left Index Finger, last night, preparing a risotto dish. The good news is that, after five hours in the emergency room, the Doc says it will probably grow back. It may look ugly for a long time, but it will be O.K. The bad news is that I can't practice guitar for awhile or type very well.

Michael K suggested tuning to open D (DADGAD I think) and practicing right hand picking techniques or using a bottleneck. I never tried bottleneck, so I need suggestions for exercises to work on till my nail grows back. Anybody got any suggestions or sources of tutorial material? How do I hold a slide? What kind should I use?

Michael said that Rick Fielding might be a good person to ask. Are you out there, Rick?

Thanx for the help, EZR